Feb. 28, 2013
LSU NCAA Qualifier: Schedule | Live Results
The Men's Track and Field team claimed its sixth Big 12 Indoor title Sunday when it capped off the two-day meet at Iowa State with 135 points, the third-highest total in league history.
It marked the 10th Big 12 Conference title for head coach Bubba Thornton who is in his 18th season with the Longhorns.
Every member of the 26-man travel squad scored, with the Longhorns claiming three individual titles (Hayden Baillio - shot put; Keiron Stewart - 60mh; Johannes Hock - heptathlon) and placing at least two among the top five in six events.
The Horns led from start to finish, racking up 19 points in Saturday's weight throw, the first scored event of the meet, and never being seriously threatened.
"We had a lot of good things happen to us the first day and you could really see the team feed off each event," head coach Bubba Thornton said. "Kansas State was really in it at that point and you knew Oklahoma was going to get in at some point, but we had to go through the course of the meet for that to happen. The nice thing about the first day was we picked up points in the pole vault, the weight throw and the 5,000. All those guys did an excellent job."
Texas then closed out the meet Sunday by picking up the three individual wins and number of other key performances, including a second-place finish by Kyle Thompson in the 800 meters, third-place finishes by Jarard Bruner in the triple jump and Brady Turnbull in the 1000, and a fourth-place showing by Victor Glaze II in the high jump.
"It was a great competition with a nice team that went in there and took care of business," Thornton said. "I liked the way they handled themselves through the delay. We tried to talk to some of the guys who felt they didn't have a good performance, but I was proud of them. They brought back the first new Big 12 Championship. It was exciting and really special."
The Longhorns, ranked No. 9 in this week's U. S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division I National Computer Team Rankings, will now gear up for the NCAA Indoor Championships which are scheduled for March 8-9 in Fayetteville, Ark.
Texas placed seventh at the 2012 NCAA Indoor meet with 22.5 points.
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Longhorn NotesLooking to Earn a Berth to NCAAs: The distance medley relay continues to lead the nation with a time of 9:31.82, a mark set at the Razorback Team Invitational in January.
Patrick McGregor,
Zack Bilderback,
Kyle Thompson and
Joe Stilin posted that time which puts the Longhorns in good shape to earn a bid to the NCAA Indoor Championships. The top 12 relay marks and best 16 individual marks earn a berth. Seniors
Hayden Baillio and
Keiron Stewart are also in solid position to make another trip the national meet. Baillio, a six-time All-American, is ranked No. 7 nationally in the shot put with his season-best toss of 64-5 (19.63m) in winning the Big 12 title. Stewart matched his school record in the 60-meter hurdles (7.66) earlier this month at the Tyson Invitational and ranks No. 5 in the country.
Johannes Hock jumped onto the national scene at the Big 12 Championships by posting the fifth-best heptathlon score in the nation. His point total of 5,858 ranks 10th on the Texas all-time performance list.
Two Head to Last-Chance Meet: Will Spence and
Reese Watson will head to Friday's LSU NCAA Indoor Qualifier meet in an attempt to reach nationals. Spence posted a career-best toss of 61-5 (18.72m) in finishing third in the shot put during last weekend's Big 12 Championships. That mark ranks No. 18 on the national performance list. Watson posted a collegiate-best clearance of 17-3 (5.26m) at the Tyson Invitational earlier this month. He ranks tied for No. 39 nationally and fifth among freshmen, but cleared 17-7 (5.35m) indoors during high school. Three athletes are tied for 15th nationally at 17-9 (5.41m). Friday's meet in Baton Rouge, La., starts at 2 p.m. CST. The shot put will take place at 3:30 p.m. and pole vault at 6 p.m.
Texas Relays Less Than a Month Away: The 86th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays will take place on March 27-30 at Mike A. Myers Stadium. Competitors will notice an improvement to the already state-of-the-art facility as a new running surface was installed over the last few weeks. Click here to view the Relays schedule.
Longhorns on the 2013 National Indoor Performance list
• Mile - Joe Stilin (3:58.66 - No. 15); Patrick McGregor (4:01.06 - No. 50)
• 3,000 Meters - Joe Stilin (7:56.07 - No. 25); Ryan Dohner (7:58.80 - No. 31)
• 5,000 Meters - Ryan Dohner (13:52.85 - No. 20); Joe Stilin (13:59.23 - No. 32)
• 60-Meter Hurdles - Keiron Stewart (7.66 - No. 5)
• Distance Medley Relay - Patrick McGregor, Zack Bilderback, Kyle Thompson, Joe Stilin (9:31.82 - No. 1)
• High Jump - Victor Glaze II (6-11.75/2.13m - tied for No. 4 among freshmen)
• Pole Vault - Reese Watson (17-3/5.26m - tied for No. 39 overall and No. 5 among freshmen)
• Shot Put - Hayden Baillio (64-5/19.63m - No. 7); Will Spence (61-5/18.72m - No. 18)
• Heptathlon - Johannes Hock (5,858 - No. 5 overall and No. 1 among freshmen)
